Abstract Detail

At the Intersection of Applied and Academic Botany: Fertile Ground for an Interdisciplinary Botanical Renaissance

Schuette, Scott [1], Martine, Chis [2].

At the Intersection of Applied and Academic Botany: Fertile Ground for an Interdisciplinary Botanical Renaissance.

Members of the botanical science community have for years bemoaned the loss of “botanical capacity” that has been witnessed over the last few decades. Meanwhile, the gap between the academic and non-academic botanical research communities (i.e. the places where most existing capacity resides) remains wide. . Although collaborations between non-academic and university-based research groups are relatively uncommon, this symposium will highlight some of the better current examples and provide evidence for the notion that partnerships such as these are integral to not only building capacity but also to answering important questions and conserving plant biodiversity. Our speakers will present models of research programs/questions that have benefited from academic/non-academic partnerships, including ways in which research outcomes have been applied to conservation challenges – as well as ways in which conservation needs have informed and driven larger research questions. In addition to learning how they might build similar collaborations, attendees (especially students and junior scientists) will be introduced to numerous career tracks outside of academia. Relevance: This symposium provides the next generation of botanists an opportunity to hear about research projects that are rebuilding botanical capacity and answering important plant biodiversity and conservation questions at multiple scales. Our presenters come from a wide rage of botanical careers and experiences ranging from tenured botany faculty to graduate students to plant conservation scientists. The examples presented will demonstrate how thinking outside the box led to fruitful and synergistic relationships between academic and non-academic partners that achieved real world solutions, opened doors for future research ideas, and introduced students to additional botanical career options.